NSW’s Financial Crimes Squad has started a formal investigation into Forum Finance and its founder Bill Papas, amid serious allegations of a $400 million fraud made by Westpac and two other banks, The Australian reports.
NSW Police referred the inquiries to the Financial Crimes Squad in late July after authorities were earlier alerted to allegations of fraudulent activity linked to equipment leases.
The Financial Crimes Squad has now decided to initiate and pursue an investigation which, depending on material and evidence provided, may lead to charges being laid.
“Detectives attached to State Crime Command’s Financial Crimes Squad are investigating,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said on Monday. “No further information is available.”
Westpac, French bank Societe Generale and Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation have separately lodged Federal Court cases against Forum entities, Mr Papas and his fellow Forum director Vincenzo Tesoriero.
Papas in Thessaloniki, Greece. Photo: Australian Financial Review Weekend.
Mr Papas has been in Greece since June 21, after failing to show up for a Perth meeting on June 15 with management of WesTrac to explain alleged irregularities in accounts.
While flagging he wanted to return to Australia, Mr Papas then cited a positive COVID-19 test and lack of funds to purchase a return plane ticket as reasons he couldn’t get back.
The Federal Government has today announced changes that will streamline the pathway to citizenship for some of the most talented prospective Australians.
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke MP, has introduced additional flexibility to recognise the unique difficulties faced by some of our most distinguished applicants for citizenship.
“Australian citizenship is a rare privilege and it should not come easy. Those who apply must meet a range of character, values and language requirements. They must also have lived in Australia for a minimum period to be eligible,” Minister Hawke said.
“However, the unique work and travel demands on some of our most highly distinguished prospective Australians should not preclude them from making the cut. That’s why I have directed the Department of Home Affairs to apply greater flexibility in applying the residence requirement for eligible people.
Alex Hawke MP has announced increased flexibility for citizenship applicants.
“Exceptional people must not be prevented from becoming Australians because of the unique demands of the very work they do that makes them exceptional.”
The Minister will extend the special residence concession to all distinguished talent visa holders and to athletes in the Australian Commonwealth Games team.
Under current arrangements applicants for citizenship must meet the general residence requirement which provides that they have lived in Australia on a valid visa for the past 4 years, and were absent for no more than 12 months in that time.
They must also have been a permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen and absent from Australia for no more than 90 days during the 12 months before applying.
Currently, the special residence requirement may apply for a range of applicants who due to their work undertake significant international travel and where it is in the Australian national interest including Australian representative sportspeople, ships’ crew, senior businesspeople, research scientists, and distinguished artists.
The special residence requirement provides that an applicant has held a valid visa for the last four years, living in Australia for at least 480 days during that time, and must have been a permanent resident and in Australia for 120 days in the year immediately before applying.
The special residence requirement will now also apply to past, present and future distinguished talent stream visa holders.
Greece said on Monday it will pump more money into its economy to prop up businesses and households battered by the pandemic, as a stronger-than-expected growth forecast for the year gave it the fiscal leeway for a raft of relief measures.
The country emerged from a decade-long financial crisis in 2018 but saw its economy slump again by 8.2% last year amid restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, which also hurt its vital tourism industry.
This year, the economy is set to rebound by 5.9%, higher than the 3.6% previously forecast, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday, as he outlined a series of tax relief measures.
Μείωση φόρου στα ακίνητα, μείωση φόρου στις επιχειρήσεις, μείωση εργοδοτικών εισφορών, κατάργηση εισφοράς αλληλεγγύης, κατάργηση γονικής παροχής, επιστρεπτέα προκαταβολή: όλα αυτά αφορούν τη μεσαία τάξη. Για αυτό και το διαθέσιμο εισόδημα της μεσαίας τάξης έχει αυξηθεί. #ΔΕΘ2021pic.twitter.com/CEU8rZRMai
Greek Finance Minister, Christos Skaikouras, on Monday said that projection was “absolutely realistic. It may even prove to be conservative.”
The government would spend 4.4 billion euros in the second half of the year, bringing the total amount of pandemic support for 2020-2022 to 42.7 billion euros, Staikouras said.
Finance Minister, Christos Skaikouras.
Economic measures include: the abolition of tax on parental gifts of property, cash and shares of up to 800,000 euros; 30 pct of electronic spending for 18 categories of services will be subtracted from taxable income, up to the sum of 5,000 euros; a complete overhaul of the “tax lottery” where 1,000 tax payers can win up to 1,000 euros each with every lottery draw; and a discount for green and digital investments and incentives.
Greece is also mulling its first issue of a green bond, Staikouras said, joining a number of European countries that have issued green debt to finance projects with environmental benefits.
Greece will make a COVID-19 booster vaccine available to vulnerable groups from Tuesday, Health Ministry experts said, hoping to curb a rise in Delta variant infections.
Authorities would start making booster jab appointments available from Tuesday to persons with compromised immune systems and individuals over the age of 60.
“It can be administered 6-8 months after the second dose,” said Maria Theodoridou, chair of the Greek National Vaccination Committee.
“For the immuno-compromised it can be given even 4 weeks after the second dose.”
This booster shot comes as Greece on Monday introduced mandatory weekly testing for all unvaccinated workers.
Α student checks her temperature as she arrives at a junior high school in Athens on Monday. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
Public and private sector employees will have to pay for weekly tests or carry a vaccination certificate to gain access to their place of work, while unvaccinated children at high schools, which reopened on Monday, are being given test kits distributed at government expense.
Similar restrictions will also apply at sports stadiums, museums and archaeological sites, as well as indoor leisure areas like cinemas and restaurants.
The country reported 1,608 new COVID-19 infections and 51 related deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 616,765 and the death toll to 14,223.
Greece, with a population of 11 million people, has so far administered more than 11.8 million first shots. About 56% of the population is fully vaccinated. It hopes to increase that figure to up to 70 percent in an attempt to build wide immunity against the virus.
Greek youth came together via Zoom on Saturday for an online cooking session where they learnt how to bake moorish baklava rolls.
The online lesson was organised by Youth In Action, which runs under St Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Burwood, and was hosted by mum-of-two, Stella Skembes. The lesson began with a prayer from Parish priest, Father George Liangas.
“When I was asked to present a live lockdown cooking session for the youth, I was really excited to help,” Stella tells The Greek Herald.
The zoom class. Photo: Facebook.
“I absolutely love baking for my family and friends, so this was a great opportunity for me to share what I love doing in a whole new way!”
With the help of her daughter, Dimi Skembes, Stella was able to give cooking instructions from two different camera angles to everyone on the Zoom, including families from other Greek Orthodox parishes as well.
“All participants, ranging from primary school students to those in their 20s, had fabulous results. Looked beautiful, tasted divine!” the parish board wrote on a Facebook post.
Stella adds she was “so happy” to see people’s baklava creations and believes everyone had great results.
“Youth In Action really is full of great ideas and I was proud to help bring one of these ideas to life!” Stella says.
“You could really tell those who participated had a great time and this made me very very happy. It was a wonderful way to spend a lockdown afternoon.”
One of South Australia’s Pan Macedonian Federation six societies, the Greek Women’s Cultural Association, Vergina, celebrated on Sunday September 12, their 30th anniversary with a special concert afternoon held at the Hellenic Macedonian Cultural Centre in Mile End, Adelaide.
“From the early 1950s to 1972 it is considered the twenty year period of mass or chain migration during which the greatest number of Greek immigrants arrived in Australia. Just half of these immigrants were women who arrived mainly as dependent siblings, wives or brides. Greek women endured many challenges due to their gender and ethnic background,” President of the Vergina Greek Women’s Cultural Association, Maria Genimahaliotis said in her opening speech.
“It was during a cocktail reception which celebrated the fifth conference of the Macedonian Associations in Adelaide in 1991 that a decision to form the ‘Vergina’ Commitee was first discussed. The ladies at the conference unanimously made this historical decision to form an auxiliary women’s committee to socialize and promote the Macedonian culture.”
The Commitee was formed in July 1991 and during its existence has contributed to numerous multicultural events held in the state.
“It is important for the next generation to understand what their mothers and grandmothers had to endure in order to maintain and promote their culture. We need to celebrate and look forward in maintaining this link to Macedonia,” Ms Genimahaliotis told The Greek Herald.
President of the Vergina Greek Women’s Cultural Association, Maria Genimahaliotis
The nearly 80 attendees had the opportunity to enjoy a tribute to Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis from local musicians Chris Panteli (Bouzouki), Mihalis Gribilos (Keyboard), John Sioutis (Drums), Steve Papadopoulos (Guitar) and Stamatis Dimitrakopoulos (Vocals) led by Tsambika De George and indulged in traditional pies prepared by the Association’s members.
Dr Chris Profyris is among 30 leading neurosurgeons who have leapt to their colleague Charlie Teo’s defence after he was accused of operating on the wrong side of two patients’ brains.
Also on the list supporting Dr Teo are Dr Andre Grotenhuis, Dr Ales Aliashkevich and Dr Giovanni Broggi among many others.
In a statement seen by The Daily Telegraph, the doctors from Australia and abroad say they are “saddened” to read stories that “only serve to diminish the outstanding work Charlie has contributed to the neurological profession over many years.”
“As neurosurgical colleagues of Dr Charlie Teo, we have worked with, been taught by and consulted with him on many complex cases over the last 20 years,” the statement said.
“We believe Charlie’s commitment to teaching, research, and patient care over this period has been of the highest quality.
Dr Chris Profyris among 30 leading neurosurgeons defending Dr Charlie Teo against allegations.
“His commitment to brain tumour awareness via his charitable work has translated into much needed funds for research, world-class publications, advancement of knowledge and heightened public consciousness about this devastating condition.”
A Sydney Morning Herald story in August referred to the case of Bradbury woman Michelle Smith, who underwent a craniotomy in 2003 to remove a tumour after suffering debilitating seizures.
According to that story, specialists who reviewed MRI scans from Ms Smith’s brain surgery more than 10 years later were “horrified” when they “suspected” Dr Teo “had not only failed to remove her tumour, he had operated on the wrong side of her brain.”
Dr Teo, who is in Germany as part of an overseas sabbatical where he is discussing neuroscience with leading surgeons in Europe and the US, strongly denied the claims.
“For the record, I have never, ever operated on the wrong side of the brain in my entire career,” he told The Sunday Telegraph in August.
Dr Charlie Teo.
The statement in support of Dr Teo has also been signed by:
Cerebral palsy is a medical condition that not many people may be wary of. It might not affect as many patients as other disorders, such as paraplegia, Parkinson’s or Tourette’s syndrome, yet it is just as difficult, if not even more so, for those being born with it to have a normal life.
According to a report issued by Deloitte in 2018, cerebral palsy is defined as “… a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing foetal or infant brain. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and behaviour, by epilepsy, and by secondary musculoskeletal problems.”
The same report found that approximately 35,500 people, or 0.14 per cent of the Australian population in 2018, were forced to live with this condition. The financial weight of this disease to the country is worth about $5 billion, which comes down to more than $145K for each person suffering from cerebral palsy.
Initiatives such as STEPtember are attempting to not only relieve some of those weights, but also make life a little easier for the ones unfortunate enough to be born with this condition. STEPtember calls for people to walk a minimum of 10K steps per day in order to raise funds for those affected by cerebral palsy.
Vasilis Berbatakis and his close friend, Chris Fanaras. Source: Supplied
Among those involved with this initiative is Greek Australian youth Vasilis Berbatakis, who spoke to ‘The Greek Herald’ about what this cause is all about but also about how it reflects on him on a more personal level.
“STEPtember is an organization committed to improving the lives of people who suffer from cerebral palsy. It’s effectively challenging people to commit to 10,000 steps a day throughout the entire month of September and raising funds which then go into helping people who live with this condition.
“So, it’s a big initiative and I’ve noticed that recently more people are starting to get around it, more so than last year,” says Vasili, who goes on to talk about who else is involved in this great initiative besides himself.
“We’ve created a small group called ‘Ta Leventopeda’, however at the moment it’s only a very good friend of mine, Chris Fanaras, who’s joined me on this cause. But we’re currently making enquiries about two people who want to be part of the ‘Leventopeda’ team, so if anyone is up for it, they’re more than welcome to join!”
Charli’s mum Cassie shares her journey to see the impact STEPtember can have on her family and other children and adults living with cerebral palsy. STEP up and help make a difference – Register now https://t.co/BjUDiFFtTYpic.twitter.com/iAGfpQHCPY
— Steptember Australia (@SteptemberAU) July 15, 2020
Going into why he decided to help people suffering from this condition specifically, rather than any other group, Vasili reflects on a recent incident that kept him on the sidelines for quite a while and gave him some perspective:
“There were two factors that motivated me to take this course of action in support of people that suffer from this health condition: one was that it was really driven by the place I work; the latter was that I suffered from a pretty big leg break back in 2019 which put me out from football and all other physical activities for a whole year.”
“I was out for 11 months after I broke my left kneecap and my MCL (medial collateral ligament) was pulled. After three months, my leg showed no signs of getting better, so the doctors decided to operate on it. That whole experience was an eye-opener for me,” Vasili says.
“In no way am I comparing myself and what happened to me to the people who deal with cerebral palsy on a daily basis since I had a recovery plan whereas they suffer throughout their whole lives. But for that short time, I definitely felt restricted in my movements, so I was able to gain a bit of insight.
“Through this fundraising process I hope that I can help provide some of these people with a few resources which will improve their mobility, such as new instruments that could help them walk.”
So far, Vasili has been keeping up with his 10,000 steps a day and is on track with raising those highly necessary funds for the people who are in desperate need of them. If you would like to join him on this noble cause, feel free to look into the STEPtember organisation and help make the world a little bit better!
In his first interview as Executive Director of Business Sydney, Paul Nicolaou has said there must be a dedicated “minister for Sydney” to help the CBD get back on its feet following the economic disaster brought on by lockdown.
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Nicolaou said the CBD has been forgotten amid the focus on the city’s west and there has been a lack of co-ordination between government and business community.
He has called on industry and business leaders to create a 100 day action plan to get the city pumping again.
Empty streets, ferry and train terminals in Circular Quay during Sydney’s 2021 lockdown. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard.
“We’ve got a minister for Western Sydney and that is Stuart Ayres, but we don’t have a minister for Sydney,” Mr Nicolaou, who is also director of the Business Leaders Council of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in the interview.
“And if we’re serious about rejuvenating the city, about getting its mojo back, then I think it needs to be a minister for Sydney that can bring together all the different departments — similar to what the former fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has as head of Resilience NSW.”
Google mobility data reveals the City of Sydney has seen a 48 percent drop in workplaces being used compared to normal.
Martin Place has become a ghost town during the recent lockdown. Photo: ABC News / Paige Cockburn.
“You’ll find that people will go into work on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and will work from home Fridays and Mondays,” Mr Nicolaou said.
“There is going to be a fair bit of office space that will probably end up going to be residential in due course because you can’t have the owners sitting on property with empty offices.”
Mr Nicolaou said he plans to use his connections with senior members of the state and federal government to lobby for tax relief for businesses in the city, who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
The Finnish crew of Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen won the Acropolis Rally, after leading most of the four-day World Rally Championship race.
Rovanpera, driving a Toyota Yaris, beat Ott Tanak of the Hyundai team by 42.1 seconds. Rovanpera’s stablemate Sebastien Ogier, the defending champion, and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia, came third, 1 minute 11.3 seconds behind.
Kalle Rovanpera, right, and his co-driver Jonne Halttunen of Finland hold their trophies after winning the WRC Acropolis Rally. Photo: Klodian Lato/Eurokinissi via AP.
Rovanpera’s victory comes less than two months after he became, at 20, the youngest winner in WRC history by winning Rally Estonia.
After nine of the WRC’s 12 rounds, Ogier leads the standings with 180 points, ahead of Elfyn Evans with 136, and Thierry Neuville on 130. Rovanpera (129 points) and Tanak (106) are in 4th and 5th place, respectively.
In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Toyota Gazoo (397 points) leads Hyundai Shell (340) and M-Sport Ford (153).
The 15-stage Acropolis Rally was held for the first time since 2013. The return was celebrated Thursday with a crowd-pleasing, if short, special stage around Athens’ main Syntagma Square, won by Ogier. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis started the race at the foot of the Acropolis.
Jourdan Serderidis of Greece and his co driver Fred Miclotte of Belgium compete in the WRC Acropolis Rally. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
The rally ended in the city of Lamia, central Greece, with most stages being held in the surrounding mountains.
Besides the often challenging terrain, the drivers had to contend with spectators standing too close to the road.
